Snelling keen for GST change

South Australian Treasurer Jack Snelling said he would lobby for changes to the GST.

He is taking part in a meeting of federal and state Treasurers in Canberra.

Imported goods worth less than $1,000 currently can avoid a GST impost.

Mr Snelling said that threshold should be lowered to $500 to help protect local retailers.

"I do think it's technically feasible for us to do. It protects our local retailers from unfair competition from overseas and also protects the integrity of the GST," he said.

Asked about the Federal Government's push for states to abolish stamp duty, Mr Snelling said SA could not afford to do so.

"The simple fact is that we cannot get rid of it without replacing it with an alternative source of revenue - it's too important," he said.

"It provides the money that we need to provide the doctors and the nurses in the hospitals and the teachers in our schools and the police on our streets, so we're just not in a position to unilaterally abolish it."